Lowe Pro has recently added to its line-up of all-weather (AW) camera bags. The new bags all share Lowe Pro's All-Weather construction, with built-in rain covers for when the conditions change. Some feature removable laptop sleeves, one even has a flip-up sunshade for the laptop when on location. From smaller more stealth bags, to holster style cases and full size backpacks, there is something for a wide array of needs for the professional and photo enthusiast.
The Pro Trekker 300 AW, 400 AW and 650 AW are professional grade backpacks designed to carry large amounts of gear. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. The model number refers to the largest focal-length lens that can be on the camera when it is inserted in the bag. Has removable waist belt that can be used as a work belt when removed. Hydration ready side pockets with seam sealed pouch. Sharing a design in line with camping backpacks, there is a top cap that covers the top of the backpack and can be cinched down to tighten up the body of the pack. The top cap can be removed and converts into a belt-pack. All three come with a removable foam laptop sleeve that fits up to a 15.4 inch screen. The Pro Trekker 300 AW sells for about $240, with the Pro Trekker 400 AW going for $280 and the Pro Trekker 600 AW for $320.
The Magnum 200 AW, 400 AW, 650 AW series are all black and designed for the professional photographer as a durable, portable toolbox. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. They share one piece foam framing all the way around for stronger corners to protect against impacts. The largest in the series, the 650, features a removable laptop sleeve with a built-in sun-shade, for location work. The Magnum 200 AW sells for about $150, with the Magnum 400 AW going for $200 and the Magnum 650 AW for $250.
The Outback 300 AW is a belt-pack, holster style camera bag. Modular belt-pack design with two interchangeable lens cases allowing you to gear up or gear down for the situation. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. Designed to protect your gear while allowing freedom of movement by freeing up your arms and shoulders, valuable when hiking and other activities. The Outback 300 AW sell for about $100.
The Versapack 200 AW is a fairly stealth camera bag with a daypack appearance. Great for anytime you don't want to look like you're carrying a camera bag. Two color schemes: black with gray and polar blue with gray. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. Lots of pockets easily accessible under front flap, for cell phones, sunglasses and such. Dual side entry compartments. The Versapack 200 AW sells for about $100.
The Classified Sling 180 AW and the 220 AW are all black, and are designed for those seeking a very discreet camera bag, great for travel and tight packed environments. Nimble Handling with its sling strap design. Side access to main compartments. A lean modern shape, designed to easily work in a crowd or on public transportation. Blends right in, doesn't scream camera bag. All-weather construction with a built-in rain cover. The 220 features a zippered, padded pocket that fits up to a 15.4 inch screen laptop. The Classified Sling 180 AW sells for about $130 and the 220 AW for about $150.
Canon has released new firmware for its EOS 7D camera that it says fixes a ghost-image problem in which faint traces of one image could show in the next.
Version 1.1.0 of the camera firmware "corrects a phenomenon that in images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible," Canon said of the update.
The ghost-image problem showed only in some circumstances when the camera was used in continuous-shooting mode and was more apparent when software was used to enhance the image.
The Canon 7D, which just arrived on the market, costs about $1,700 and can shoot 18-megapixel images at speeds of up to eight frames per second.
(Via Rob Galbraith)
The E-P2 is Olympus' newly announced a follow up to its first mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, the E-P1, which also adheres to the Micro Four Thirds Standard (MFT). But while the E-P2 offers some nice enhancements over its line mate, it doesn't seem to address two of the major problems in its almost-identical body. That's too bad, because the E-P1 had serious shutter lag and focus issues. The E-P2 adds AF tracking in continuous autofocus and movie modes, which the company thinks should ameliorate many user complaints, but unfortunately the E-P1's performance woes occurred in single autofocus mode.
The E-P2 is extremely similar to the E-P1, though it will only come in an elegant shiny black as opposed to the silver and white versions of the E-P1. It'll be available with the same kit lenses, the 14-42mm and the 17mm pancake, with each kit costing about $1,100. The most notable addition to the body is an accessory port, which makes the body slightly higher. One of the first accessories Olympus will offer is an add-on tiltable electronic viewfinder that slides into the hot shoe, which the company will bundle with the camera. That's nice--it's an extra-cost option with the Panasonic GF1. The viewfinder seems pretty good and quite bright and contrasty. The other accessory is an adapter for an external microphone.
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(Credit:
ChinaGrabber)
Somehow, I just cannot take the Spy Coke Can DVR seriously. No, it's not the misspelled "Classic" on the red can. Rather, I'm trying to imagine how people will react when they pick up the drink and try to pop it open.
The gizmo comes with 4GB of onboard memory, which is more than enough for the 640x480-pixel videos it can record. The bottom of the tin opens up to reveal a power switch, USB port, and record/save button. For $17 more, you get a remote control that toggles start and stop for movie capture. Too bad it doesn't come in matching Coke can design.
Among all the spy cameras we've featured on Crave, this one probably won't generate as much fizz, and yes, the pun's intended.
(Source: Crave Asia via Gizmodo)
Honing your sharpening skills, how you left your ruts in the mud, and your fall foliage photos for all.
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EPISODE 67
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This view compares output from four raw-processing packages: DxO Optics Pro, Nikon's Capture NX2, Bibble 5 with the Noise Ninja noise-reduction filter, and Adobe Camera Raw that's in Photoshop. The original raw photo was taken with a Nikon D700 at ISO 25,600. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: DxO Labs)DxO Labs announced a new version of its raw image editing software Tuesday that sports what the company says is a streamlined, more adaptable interface and an ability to extract a better ultimate image from those that begin with lots of noise.
DxO Optics Pro is designed for the sometimes laborious process of converting raw images that come from higher-end digital cameras into more easily viewed and handled formats such as JPEG. Although it takes work, using raw images can provide more flexibility and quality than using JPEGs straight from the camera--and with the new DxO Optics Pro, lower noise at high ISO settings, the company said.
Specifically, the noise reduction technology in DxO Optics Pro version 6 can reduce noise well enough to effectively give a photographer one more usable F-stop out of a camera than the previous version did, said Cyrille de La Chesnais, director of sales and marketing for photography at the Paris-based company. That means a photographer could shoot at a faster shutter speed or in dimmer conditions.
That can be useful especially with modern SLRs; Canon's 5D Mark II and Nikon's D700 can both shoot at an extreme ISO of 25,600, and Canon's new 1D Mark IV and Nikon's new D3S can shoot at a whopping ISO 102,400. The images are extremely noisy in those cases, but noise reduction can help extract a more useful image. However, raw processing software can be slow even on machines with abundant processing power.
By underexposing an image in the camera and then increasing its exposure in the software, DxO Optics Pro can give a photographer a more sensitive camera. This image from a Canon G10 is effectively shot at ISO 3,200 even though the camera's maximum ISO is 1,600.
(Credit: DxO Labs)Getting a one F-stop improvement means a photographer could use ISO 25,600 instead of holding the line at 12,800. Alternatively, for a camera such as Canon's G10 high-end compact that tops out at ISO 1,600, photographers can effectively shoot at ISO 3,200 by underexposing the image by a full stop then brightening it later in software.
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Is this camera EVIL?
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Words have always been considered powerful, mystical things--the story of the Golem is merely one example that pops into mind--but they take on more prosaic power when it comes to search engine optimization.
While there are lots of reasons why SEO is important from a content provider standpoint, as a writer/editor I really only care about one thing: will people be able to find a particular product review when they search for it?
There are just some categories that defy consensus; I still don't know what to call all those camcorders that compete with the pioneering Flip, ending up with unsatisfactory choices like "mini camcorders" or "budget camcorders" simply because they'll turn up the right models when people search.
So I'm taking a different approach for cameras like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, Olympus E-P1 and their ilk.
CNET News Poll
Frankly, I hate all the possible category descriptions. While "EVIL" (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) is the catchiest, it seems to have some Sony-related roots (pause here to appreciate that a search on "Sony" and "evil" brings up rootkit memories), not all of these cameras have or will have EVFs.
They started their lives referred to as "hybrid" cameras, but they're not really hybrids--they don't really mix different species of products. And at this point "hybrid" has really become associated with cars.
I kind of like Mirrorless Interchangeable-Lens Camera, and think it most accurately reflects the category, but "MILC" is too precious for me. Interchangeable-lens camera seems to be the most popular, and I've tentatively settled on that. But is it too hard to search on?
Some simply refer to them as Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras, which works for now since all of the current models adhere to the MFT standard. But that won't be true forever--or even for the near future, unless Samsung surprises us. And while "system cameras" may accurately reflect what they are, it doesn't really distinguish them from SLRs, which are the original system cameras
So I ask you: please vote on what we should call them. And if you have any better ideas, leave 'em in the comments.
Adobe Systems released the first Lightroom 3.0 beta only last week, but already people are adapting the software for their own ends. In Sean McCormack's case, time-lapse video.
Time-lapse photography, for those unfamiliar with it, compresses a sequence of still images into a movie that appears to speed up the passage of time. It's how nature documentaries get those clouds scudding over the mountains and the sun racing across the sky.
Most of us use just a small fraction of what our software can do, but McCormack is one of those people at the other end of the spectrum who figures out how to push software well beyond the built-in feature set. In Lightroom's case he took advantage of its ability to export a sequence of shots as a video, a feature designed to let photographers create easily shared slideshows.
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(Credit:
Imregun Erturk)
How many cameras can float in the air and take pictures of you automatically? None, and there probably won't be any for some time to come. This is how skeptical I am of the Wagabond conceptualized by Turkish designer Imregun Erturk.
According to Erturk, the Wagabond can float in the air (the floating mechanism wasn't explained) and users can employ a remote control to adjust the height and shooting angles. This gizmo is targeted at lone travelers who don't want to bother people around them to help take their pictures.
All that is required for the user is to place the Wagabond on the floor and then use the remote control to activate it. The snapper will then float to the designated position and start taking shots.
I'm not placing too much hope for the Wagabond to go into commercial production. For now, I'll just use my Gorillapod.
(Source: Crave Asia via Trendhunter)
Canon has warned that traces of one photograph taken with the company's new higher-end EOS 7D SLR can sometimes be seen in the next.
Canon's EOS 7D
(Credit: Canon USA)The good news: new software for the camera should be able to fix the problem at some point. "Canon is currently investigating and analyzing the cause of this phenomenon, and we are planning to release a firmware update to address this issue," the company said in a a service notice.
The problem occurs only when shooting continuously, Canon said: "In images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible. This phenomenon is not noticeable in an image with optimal exposure. The phenomenon may become more noticeable if a retouching process such as level compensation is applied to emphasize the image."
The Canon 7D, which just arrived on the market, costs about $1,700 and can shoot 18-megapixel images at speeds of up to eight frames per second.
(Via Cameratown)
